This Issue: Even in liberal Tucson, voters reject policies that provide sanctuary to illegal aliens

By a 2-to-1 margin, Democratic voters outnumber Republican voters in the city of Tucson, Ariz. But on Tuesday, the city's voters overwhelmingly rejected a ballot proposition that would have officially turned the city into a sanctuary for illegal aliens.

71.4% of voters rejected the proposition, while only 28.6% of voters supported it. Every Democrat on the ballot cruised to easy victories, making the conclusion crystal clear -- voters on both sides of the political aisle reject protecting criminal aliens from federal immigration enforcement.

The Tucson proposition would have established:

• Rules restricting officers from taking actions with the purpose of determining immigration status for persons who have not been detained or arrested
• Rules for what officers can and cannot do to determine immigration status for detained or arrested persons
• Rules restricting collaboration with federal law enforcement agencies
• Rules restricting city officials' inquiry of immigration status
• Rules regarding law enforcement certifications for alleged crime victims
• Provisions allowing people to bring legal action against city officers, agencies, and employees and prescribing civil penalties.

Voters in the more conservative county of Sussex County, New Jersey affirmed, by a 2-to-1 margin, that they want county law enforcement to cooperate with Immigration and Customs Enforcement officers. The vote comes on the heels of the Garden State's Attorney General declaring the state a sanctuary for illegal aliens. At least three other counties in New Jersey have also expressed opposition to the sanctuary state policy.

Prez hopeful Bernie Sanders doubles-down on sanctuary policies

Presidential hopeful Bernie Sanders released a more detailed immigration plan this week that doubles-down on sanctuary policies despite the results in New Jersey and Arizona.

While Sen. Sanders' initial immigration plan had included sanctuary policies, his revised plan expands those policies by permanently shutting down ICE and putting a "moratorium on deportations", even of criminal aliens who have been convicted of violent crimes.

In addition, Sen. Sanders, who in the past has expressed concern for mass immigration's impact on American workers, calls for increases in family-based immigration and to eliminate the backlog of more than 4 million foreign citizens awaiting green cards.

You can view Sen. Sanders' upgraded candidate ratings by clicking here.

Chris Chmielenski NumbersUSA Deputy Director